Railroad-torpedo



J. H. BEVINGTON.

RAILROAD TORPEDO.

(No Model.\

No. 417,138. Patented Dec. 10, 1889.

WITNESSES INVENTOR BY I U "I l A TT ORIVE Y JAMES II. BEVINGTON, OFBELLEVUE,

PATENT OFFICE,

OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE BEVINGTON SIGNAL COMPANY, OF FOS'IORIA, OHIO.

RAILROAD- TORPEDO.

$PECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 417,138, dated December10, 1889.

Application filed May 10, 1887.

To all who/1t it may (Jo/worn.-

Be it known that 1, JAMES H. BEvINcToN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Bellevue, county of'Huron, and State of Ohio, 5 haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroadlorpedoes, ofwhich the following is a specification. My invention relates to a newand useful improvement in torpedoes constructed to be placed onrailroad-tracks for the purpose of giving signals to the engineer of thepassing.

train. These signals are so constructed and arranged that they willexplode with a loud report as soon as the first wheel of the locor 5motive presses upon them.

Ileretofore in the manufacture of railwaytorpedoes it has been customaryto form the cartridge with an outer envelope or casing of metal, theobject of such construction being to militate against moisture and toprevent the dampness from spoiling the explosive compound within it."aThe great drawback encountered in the employment of such material hasbeen that when the torpedo has exploded the metallic envelope will tearinto sections and fl y in all directions, often doing damage to theflagmanor to other persons, and rendering life and property generallyunsafe in their vicinity.

To obviate these drawbacks is the object of my present invention; and ittherefore consists in the torpedo made of a mixture of any suitableexplosive compound and some other suitable material-such as cementwhichcan be worked in a plastic state. The torpedo will be given its shapewhile the two substances are thus mixed and in a plastic condition, atwhich time they may be molded and pressed into any suitable shapes andsizes, after which they become hardened and will constitute a torpedosuitable for railwaysignaling purposes. They also have a covering ofjapanning shellac or some other moisture-resisting material, so as torender them water-proof when exposed, which covering is generallyapplied after they are formed. A railway-signaling torpedo thus formedis much better, more economical and effective than any now in use, andthe liability of ac cidents, which, as I have recited above,

Serial No. 237,738! (No model.)

constitutes a very serious drawback to the railway-torpedoes now in use,is done'away with, inasmuch as every portion of my torpedo is completelydisintegrated-that is, reduced to a powder upon explosion. I alsoprovide the torpedo with a binding-strap, which is attached thereto byhaving a portion embedded in the body of the torpedo while the latter isin a plastic state.

Other points of novelty and utility will be hereinafter moreparticularly referred to in connection with the drawings, and will bepointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of thisspecification, Figure 1 represents a wedge-shaped torpedo constructed asabove described and placed in position upon a railway-rail. Fig. 2 is amodified shape showing the binding-strap stretched out.

In the drawings, A represents the body of the torpedo, B the binclingstrap, and O the rail to which the said torpedo is attached.

The portion or body A of the torpedo consists, as stated, of somesuitable explosive compound mechanically but thoroughly and uniformlyintermixed with a moldable binding substance, so that the whole willconstitute a solid and integral mass of the same quality and densitythroughout, which can be worked in a plastic state and pressed into anydesired shape, as that shown in the different figures of the drawings,by means of an iron or other suitable mold.

The securing-strap B may be pressed into the body of the torpedo and beheld therein by the adhesion of the parts after the torpedo has becomedry; or it may be fastened therein by a string or staple, or by anyother suitable means of attachment. o

'Iprefer the wedge shape, as shown in the drawings, for my improvedtorpedo, wherein I am enabled to concentrate the bulk of the explosivecompound around the center, there by increasing the effectiveness of thetorpedo. By reason of the wedge shape, also, itis much less liable to beknocked oif or displaced by snow-brushes, wheels, or other appurtenancesof a moving train. I am enabled, also, by

reason of the shape and structure of my tor- ICO pedo, to use a muchsmaller article of manufacture than any others now in use. A torpedomade as I have described will produce as loud a report: as one madetwice the size in the ordinary way.

I do not claim in this application the method of making torpedoes, butsimply the article; but have claimed such method in another co-pendingapplication, serially numbered 263,091, filed on the (3th of February,1888.

I am aware that it has before been proposed to form a torpedo of anexplosive cartouch with a more highly-explosive interior, the saidcartouch being formed of a nitrate mixed with a hydrocarbon, the wholeconstituting the explosive and being molda-ble. I am also aware that ithas been proposed to mix with grains'of powder a fluid which, when thepowder is compressed, serves to hold the grains together to form a cake;but these all differ from my improved torpedo in the following amongother important and vital features: It has not been before proposed tomix with a substance in itself an explosive a plastic compound ormaterial which produces a substance which may be molded and will hardenin a compact mass, giving the pro duct a characteristic structure lessexplosive, of uniform quality and density, capable of resisting wear,rough treatment, and other things incident to the use for whichmyimprovements are intended,the whole being entirely disintegrated andreduced to powder upon explosion. In the old method of mixing oneingredient of an explosive with another, which make together theexplosive, and forming a cartouch thereof with an interior ofhighly-explosive material, a disadvantage is seen in that the exteriorwould be shattered by the first interior explosion, and an effectproduced which it is the main object of my invention to overcome. Mytorpedoes are to be used without any shell or exterior portion harder orless explosive than the interior, and will burn equally throughoutwhenexploded. The idea of sticking grains of powder together with mucilagewould obviously not serve the purpose of my present invention. I

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A torpedo for railway and other purposes, consisting of an explosivecompound and a binding material suitably intermixed and molded andprovided with a water-proof covering and a securing-strap, as shown anddescribed.

2. A torpedo for railway and other purposes, consisting of an explosivecompound and a binding material suitably intermixed and molded andprovided wit h a binding strap or cord embedded in the torpedo, as andfor the purposes set forth.

3. A torpedo constructed essentially for-railroad purposes andconsisting of an explosive compound suitably mixed with the bindingmaterial and shaped in such a way that an increased portion of itsvolume will be centralized, the torpedo being provided with taperingends, so as to alford little resistance to the tread of thelocomotive-wheels, and provided with a water-proof covering and abindingstrap, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

JAMES H. BEVINGTON.

Vitnesses:

M. B. STOUT, J. M. BEvER.

